by Karen Louise Hollis

Created on: August 21, 2010

John Barrowman has been around longer than you think. His first role in a West End musical was almost twenty years ago and he presented the British children's television series Live and Kicking back in 1993. But the huge popularity he has these days probably began with his role in the first series of the new Doctor Who in 2005, when he played Captain Jack, the dashing time travelling hero who assisted the Doctor. The character was so successful, he got his own programme - Torchwood - now preparing for its fourth series.

In 2008, John published his autobiography Anything Goes, chronicling his first forty years. His sister, Carole E. Barrowman helped him write it and between the two of them, the tone is perfect and you can easily hear John's voice coming through the text. The hardback version is around 250 pages, split into nineteen chapters. There are three sections of photos too, which are lovely! One of the cutest photos shows John watching the first televised episode of Torchwood along with three of his fellow cast members and the star of Doctor Who, David Tennant. There's also a beautiful photo of John and Scott on the day of their civil partnership ceremony, surrounded by their three dogs.

The book doesn't follow a strictly chronological order, which can occasionally be slightly confusing, but it does avoid the problem of many autobiographies - one of a fairly boring start to their story and all the action towards the end of the book. Anything Goes never becomes dull and each chapter has something interesting and shows the reader more about John's life, career, family and friends.

He comes across just as he seems on television appearances - warm, friendly, caring, energetic, and full of life, frank, cheeky, confident and endearing. He isn't afraid of writing it how it is and is happy to laugh at his own actions. Although a couple of incidents are rather revealing, they will also make the reader smile!

For anyone who is interested in trying for a career in musical theatre, reading Anything Goes gives plenty of good tips and advice for the aspiring actor or singer. It is also fascinating to read about the theatrical superstitions and their origins, as well as John's own personal collection of idiosyncratic 'must do's! Do you know why actors should be told to 'break a leg' instead of wished Good Luck? Or why whistling in a theatre is unlucky? You will do, after reading this.

John's fans often worry about his workload. The poor man seems to work long

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